Woman in court on child sex charges

A woman is due to appear in court charged with child sex offences following the investigation into paedophiles Vanessa George and Colin Blanchard.

Police said the unnamed 43-year-old from Southport had been charged as a result of an alleged link to Blanchard, 38, a former IT salesman.

In a case which sparked massive public outrage, he admitted a string of child abuse offences at Bristol Crown Court last month alongside nursery worker George and Angela Allen, both 39.

A spokesman for Merseyside Police said: "A 43-year-old woman from Southport has been charged with a number of offences relating to possessing and making indecent images of a child and sexual activity with a child."

Police added the charges are not linked to the Little Ted's Nursery in Plymouth, Devon, where George had worked.

The 43-year-old will appear at South Sefton Magistrates' Court in Bootle.